carib ia.2
TRANSCRIPT
-
7/30/2019 carib ia.2
1/18
TITLE/TOPIC: Social Networking
PROBLEM STATEMENT: The impacts of social networking sites
on the social life, of students of St Stephens College, between the
ages of 11- 18yrs?
INTRODUCTION:
Only recently in Trinidad and Tobago have social networking become a
prominent issue. Great deals of speculation have been made about the
impacts of social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook, MySpace, and
Twitter on users lives particularly on youths. Some fear that SNS would
diminish proper communication skills, human relationships and contacts, as
well as cause social seclusion. However others believe that with the advent
of social networking sites especially the modern day marvel Facebook, thisfacility could be described as a social utility that helps people communicate
faster and more efficiently with their friends, family and co-workers all over
the world. As could be expected, researchers have begun to put to
empirical test these claims, reaching a more balanced understanding of SNS.
The research which this study would pursue investigates both the positive
and negative impacts of social networking on youth, with emphasis on
security, communication skills, and formal education. The age group to be
studied is between 11 to 18 years, while the physical space of the research
focus is St. Stephens College, Craignish Village, Princes Town, Trinidad.
-
7/30/2019 carib ia.2
2/18
The purpose of this study is to discover the extent of the influence of social
networking sites on the social lives of youths and to assess the involvement
of parents in their childs use of social networking sites. This will serve to
facilitate the evaluation of beliefs made by individuals about the pros and
cons of social networking.
The value of the research would be to help parents and guardians to be more
aware of the impacts of social networking on the lives of their children and
as such monitor their childrens use of these sites more stringently. It can
also help youths to be more mindful of how these sites should be used to
their benefit without placing themselves and their future at risk.
Research questions:
1. What are the positive impacts of social networking on youths lives?
2. What are the negative impacts of social networking on youths lives?
3. How aware are parents are of their childs use of social networking
sites?
-
7/30/2019 carib ia.2
3/18
LITERATURE REVIEW
Social networking sites are virtual communities (Lenhart and Madden,
2007). Just like chat services, SNS incorporate a list of other users with whom
individuals can share a connection. But unlike any other web service, SNS
allow individuals to make visible their list of connections to others and to
traverse their social networks (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). Hence, more than other
virtual communities born online, SNS are usually online communities created
and maintained to reflect offline relationships.
Social networks are also being used by teachers and students as a
communication tool. Because many students are already using a wide-range
of social networking sites, teachers have begun to familiarize themselves
with this trend and are now using it to their advantage. Teachers and
professors are doing everything from creating chat-room forums and groups
to extend classroom discussion to posting assignments, tests and quizzes, to
assisting with homework outside of the classroom setting. Social networks
are also being used to foster teacher-parent communication. These sites
make it possible and more convenient for parents to ask questions and voice
concerns without having to meet face-to-face.
"Benniger (1987) describes how mass media has gradually replaced
interpersonal communication as a socializing force. Further, social
networking sites have become popular sites for youth culture to explore
themselves, relationships, and share cultural artifacts". Many teens and
-
7/30/2019 carib ia.2
4/18
social networking users may be harming their interpersonal communication
by using sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Stated by Baroness
Greenfield, an Oxford University Neuroscientist, "My fear is that these
technologies are infantilizing the brain into the state of small children who
are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention
span and who live for the moment." The convenience that social network
sites give users to communicate with one another can also damage their
interpersonal communication. Sherry Turkle, the founder and director of the
MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, stated, Networked, we are together,
but so lessened are our expectations of each other that we feel utterly alone.
And there is the risk that we come to see others as objects to be accessed--
and only for the parts we find useful, comforting, or amusing. Furthermore,
social network sites can create insincere friendships, Turkle also noted,
They nurture friendships on social-networking sites and then wonder if they
are among friends. They become confused about companionship.
Parents are unaware of the dangers their children face by posting details
about themselves on social networking sites, according to research
commissioned by Ofcom.
The survey of 5,000 adults and 3,000 children found that nearly half of
children aged between eight and 17 have a profile on one or more of the
popular social networking sites. Despite two-thirds of parents saying they set
rules for their children regarding the use of social networking sites, one in
five parents said they were unaware that their child may have made their
-
7/30/2019 carib ia.2
5/18
profile public. (http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/1911962/children-
putting-danger-social-networking-sites#ixzz1f25sgAHt)
Privacy concerns with social networking services have been raised growing
concerns amongst users on the dangers of giving out too much personal
information and the threat ofsexual predators. According to a study
conducted by the information Commissioners Office (ICO) (2006), more than
half of those social network users polled revealed that the majority of their
information was available for public consumption on a social networking
page. Citizens and governments have been concerned by a misuse by child
and teenagers of social networking services, in particular in relation to online
sexual predators. A 2008 panel concluded that technological fixes such as
age verification and scans are relatively ineffective means of apprehending
online predators.
A common misuse of social networking sites such as Facebook is that it is
occasionally used to emotionally abuse individuals. Online bullying, also
called cyber-bullying, is a relatively common occurrence and it can often
result in emotional trauma for the victim. Depending on the networking
outlet, up to 39% of users admit to being cyber-bullied. Danah Boyd, a
researcher of social networks quotes a teenager in her article, Why Youth
(Heart) Social Network Sites. The teenager expresses frustration towards
http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/1911962/children-putting-danger-social-networking-sites#ixzz1f25sgAHthttp://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/1911962/children-putting-danger-social-networking-sites#ixzz1f25sgAHthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy_concerns_with_social_networking_serviceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_predatorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_fixhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebookhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber-bullyinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danah_Boydhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy_concerns_with_social_networking_serviceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_predatorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_fixhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebookhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber-bullyinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danah_Boydhttp://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/1911962/children-putting-danger-social-networking-sites#ixzz1f25sgAHthttp://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/1911962/children-putting-danger-social-networking-sites#ixzz1f25sgAHt -
7/30/2019 carib ia.2
6/18
networking sites like MySpace because it causes drama and too much
emotional stress. There are not many limitations as to what individuals can
post when online. Individuals are given the power to post offensive remarks
or pictures that could potentially cause a great amount of emotional pain for
another individual.
Social networking can also affect the extent to which a person feels lonely. In
a Newsweek article, Johannah Cornblatt explains Social-networking sites like
Facebook and MySpace may provide people with a false sense of connection
that ultimately increases loneliness in people who feel alone. John T.
Cacioppo, a neuroscientist at the University of Chicago, claims that social
networking can foster feelings of sensitivity to disconnection, which can lead
to loneliness. However some scholars have expressed that concerns about
social networking are often exaggerated and poorly researched.
-
7/30/2019 carib ia.2
7/18
RESEARCH DESIGN
In this research paper I will be using quantitative data. Quantitative
data usually takes the form of statistical or numerical information. My
main reason for choosing to employ the use of this type of data is the fact
that quantitative research facilitates theory formation because as a large
amount of data is collected the data can display cause and correlation
and therein makes the formation of theory is possible. The use of this
type of data is also advantageous in that it provides objectivity; therefore
respondents will not in any way be influenced by my personal views.
The instrument used to collect data was questionnaires. A
questionnaire is a number of preset questions that can contain open-
ended, fixed choice or a combination of both types of questions. 54
students (27 girls and 27 boys- 6 from each age group ranging from 11-19
years old) were chosen by stratified random sample from St Stephens
College from forms 1 to 6. They were approached individually and asked
whether they would like to participate in the study. All agreed. A 17 item
questionnaire was administered to all students on the 29th of February
during the lunch break and was collected after school. 15 items were of
forced-choice type and two were open-ended.
The advantages of the questionnaire are that the data can be easily
tabulated, measured and analyzed, and they are easy to administer.
However some disadvantages are that fixed choice questions can possibly
-
7/30/2019 carib ia.2
8/18
force a respondent to choose an answer that does not capture his/her
feelings about an issue and that some respondents may provide
erroneous information or treat the issue too lightly. However these
problems were overcome by incorporating open ended questions in my
questions and secondly in order to prevent respondents from treating the
issue lightly I made an effort to impress upon the respondents the
importance of the research and the necessity for them to answer all
questions honestly and seriously.
-
7/30/2019 carib ia.2
9/18
DATA ANALYSIS
Fig.1
-
7/30/2019 carib ia.2
10/18
-
7/30/2019 carib ia.2
11/18
-
7/30/2019 carib ia.2
12/18
.
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
Public
Partially private
Private
30%
40%
30%
BAR GRAPH SHOWING HOW THE STUDENTS PROFILE WERE SETUP ON SNS
Public Partially private Private
-
7/30/2019 carib ia.2
13/18
-
7/30/2019 carib ia.2
14/18
-
7/30/2019 carib ia.2
15/18
-
7/30/2019 carib ia.2
16/18
INTERPRETATION OF FINDINGS
F
-
7/30/2019 carib ia.2
17/18
-
7/30/2019 carib ia.2
18/18